With more than 1.5 million trips on the clock in 2023, a record, the Saint-Denis express bike network (REV) continues to gain speed. And even among the merchants of the artery, who were initially reluctant, the cycle path is gaining more and more fans.
It was on Wednesday, at the end of the day, that the REV counter located at the corner of rue des Carrières officially crossed the symbolic bar of 1.5 million trips, a first since its inauguration in November 2020.
Even if we are far from the 10,000 passages per day observed in summer, the artery continues to attract more than 1,500 cyclists per day despite the arrival of cold weather and snow. Everywhere on the cycle route, the four counters show an increase in trips, which have increased by 14% in the last year.
During weekdays, the REV Saint-Denis recorded an average of 4,600 passages in 2023. The rest of the time, especially on weekends, the REV welcomed an average of 4,300 passages on a daily basis. “It shows that people are using it to go to work and school. It’s not just a leisure infrastructure,” explains the CEO of Vélo Québec, Jean-François Rheault.
“When we build cycling infrastructure, we are often told that it is used by a small number, by a minority of people. And the figures this morning show without a doubt that it is widely used and that, above all, it is used more and more,” adds Mr. Rheault.
Everything we see at the moment also legitimizes cyclist travel. This raises the conversation around the redevelopment of spaces in our streets, making it more mature.
Jean-François Rheault, CEO of Vélo Québec
Traders gone elsewhere
At the Commercial Development Company (SDC) on rue Saint-Denis, general manager Julien Vaillancourt Laliberté notes that since its establishment in 2020, the REV is no longer perceived in the same way by its members. “We are really in a post-REV phase where there are no longer any real dissatisfied people. It allowed another access to our artery and we can see it,” maintains the manager.
However, certain discussions are still underway to optimize the cycle path, he confides, welcoming the “openness” of the district.
“We would like to ensure that we have an infrastructure that makes people stop more on rue Saint-Denis, [outre des supports à vélos]. We need a system that allows cyclists to stop, to take advantage of the artery, beyond parking,” explains Mr. Vaillancourt Laliberté in this regard.
Currently, the commercial occupancy rate on Saint-Denis Street is a little over 84%, much more than before the arrival of the REV. “It’s a very good rate, but we can’t compare it with before the REV, since our street was under construction. The street was not open. Our best rate was in December of last year, with 86%,” says the CEO on this subject.
Montreal wants to pick up the pace
“We have a lot of requests for the future, and not only from cyclists. The appetite is there. And I think that the showcase that REV Saint-Denis offers has a lot of impact. People see it clearly, the effect it has on the street,” notes the advisor associated with active transportation on the City’s executive committee, Marianne Giguère.
So far, there are six existing axes of the REV: Berri–Lajeunesse–Saint-Denis, Viger–Saint-Antoine–Saint-Jacques, Souligny, Peel, Bellechasse and Notre-Dame–parc de la Traversée. In the short term, by 2027, the City plans to develop four more, on the Côte-de-Liesse, Henri-Bourassa, Jean-Talon and Lacordaire axes.
On arteries like rue Jean-Talon Est, we are currently discussing with the City to equip ourselves with a REV, says Mme Giguère. “In Saint-Laurent, it’s the same thing: they see the benefits and would take them too. […] Afterwards, it is certain that from east to west, there are more intersections and the travel patterns are not the same, so the challenges are different,” she notes.
“There, we work a lot on Henri-Bourassa, who is progressing in sections. And it’s a bit of the same issues: we’re working to explain the project well, to reassure traders. The cycle is often like this: people are apprehensive at the beginning, it’s fear, it’s normal. But once it is implemented and adopted by cyclists, everyone begins to see the good sides,” concludes the advisor.
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